Bulk Progress Pics (4 months)

Hi all, here's some updated pics of me. I've been bulking since august.

On the pics on 07/17 I weighed in at about 170lbs. The pics of yesterday is me @ ~200lbs. I've never been this heavy, and I'm afraid I've been bulking a bit too hard. It's hard to tell if I gained any muscle on my upper body, as far as I see I only gained ALOT of fat and water I was really shocked when I saw the pics, I don't look nearly as fat in the mirror.. o well..

The only thing I'm pleased about is the progress in my legs, they went from 23" 1/2 to 26" 1/4. Strength in my legs went up good too, went from max. 6*300lbs to 6*350lbs on squats (parallel).

I'm considering to start cutting early, I planned to bulk up until march, but I think I'm gonna start soon after the new year.. What do you guys think?

Naw man, you put on some solid muscle. Your back looks like it gained some good mass, and it looks like there was some pretty dramatic gains in your legs. Once you cut you'll notice it more. Good job bro

I would agree with the others. Just tighten up how many grams of carbs and fats you are taking in just a little, and add 20 minutes of cardio about 3 times a week after your workouts and you probably tighten up a little without drastically effecting your gains.

You said you gained 30 lbs? Well, I think a large portion of that is muscle because you'd be a lot "fatter" if you gained 30lbs of fat. Yes, probably some of that is water too, so just know that ahead of time and not worry about dropping a few pounds here and there when you do stop your bulk. (You'll be losing water, not muscle).

It looks/sounds like you were smart about it too. You realize that you can either bulk (gain muscle and accept a little bit of fat) or lean out (lose fat and accept little to no muscle gain).

Wish I was that smart when I was younger.

I wouldn't be afraid to bulk more, as you're still lean enough to be able to lose fat somewhat quickly.

And my new personal theory is to never start dieting right before the Christmas holidays. It's just a lot easier to stay on a bulk then, especially if you have families giving you free large meals. Start dieting when you're not offered free food.

As for when to start dieting...well all I can say is that I'll be starting in January. The past 2 years I tried to start in March, and just couldn't lose it as fast as I thought I would.

I find it's easier to lose weight when I don't want to, but once I try to...LoL. I'm going to give myself a couple extra months. Plus I live in Canada, so summer doesn't exactly start at the same time as our friends to the south....although I may be going to Daytona Beach again next year for American spring break which I think is in March...

You've put on muscle, keep eating! Some of the reason you can't see the difference is the lighting in the pics - the before pics are lit from the side, with diffuse light - it shows more definition. In the recent pics, the light source is aligned with the camera, it doesn't show depth as well.

Thx for the comments all, it's really motivating me to keep on bulking

I had in mind hiring Bobo after the new year to help me cut, but I think I'll just do the opposite and hire him for the deluxe bulking plan (it's cheaper too ). Wish I had the money right now yet, and I'm hoping he'll have a spot left after the new year...

No, I don't mind. This is merely a guideline for myself though, so I know how much I need to get the ratio's and totals, I hardly ever exactly eat what's on here, but it's pretty close

EDIT: I add small portions to everything if I stop gaining weight. Right now I'm stalled, although I eat well over maintenance. That's why I wanna hire Bobo, I'll be so pleased if I can gain like another 10lbs (I got in mind bulking for like 4 months with him, though), and then start cutting!

No, I don't mind. This is merely a guideline for myself though, so I know how much I need to get the ratio's and totals, I hardly ever exactly eat what's on here, but it's pretty close

EDIT: I add small portions to everything if I stop gaining weight. Right now I'm stalled, although I eat well over maintenance. That's why I wanna hire Bobo, I'll be so pleased if I can gain like another 10lbs (I got in mind bulking for like 4 months with him, though), and then start cutting!

Good job on your progress. As was said before, there is a significant increase in your back width/thickness. Your diet looks pretty good as well, although I have a couple of recommendations. You may want to up the fat and protein, and reduce the carbs. The ideal ratios are 40/30/30 p/c/f. As far as what you are eating, pretty much everything looks good. I might suggest switching the casein to low fat cottage cheese instead, which contains casein and is slowly digested. Real food > shakes. Keep it up!

Good job on your progress. As was said before, there is a significant increase in your back width/thickness. Your diet looks pretty good as well, although I have a couple of recommendations. You may want to up the fat and protein, and reduce the carbs. The ideal ratios are 40/30/30 p/c/f. As far as what you are eating, pretty much everything looks good. I might suggest switching the casein to low fat cottage cheese instead, which contains casein and is slowly digested. Real food > shakes. Keep it up!

Hey thanks! I'm on week one of Bobo's Deluxe muscle building program, so I'm learning how to eat right now hehe